Twisting-machine.



w. F. SMITH.

TWISTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 17. 1914. 1 fifi 0 Patented Nov. 20, 191?.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I r LI. Mvenior:

w. F. SMITH.

TWISTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 17, 1914.

L%%?A6Q. Patented Nov.2(),1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

P WWW were m m nt Patented not. a. 1919.

Application filed Uctober at; more hertal We. cor,

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM F. m 1 a a citizen of the United States, resldmg at Brooklyn in the county of Kings and btate a of New fork, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Twisting-Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

This invention relates to twlstmg ma- 1o chines, and more particularly to machines for the twistin of strands for use in .elec

' trio cables and e articles of manufacture.

The object of this invention is to rovlde a machine for rapidly and economics prolt ducing twisted strands of highlty cient electrical properties valuable in e formation of cables used for the electrical transmission of intelli nce.

In accordance with this invention means 1s 29 provided for equalizing the speed of the strands through a twisting machine and for causing them to be fed in a straight line to the twi -ting means whereby the length of the strands to be twisted will be maintained at equal. The specific means provided for this urpose may comprise a plurality of wheels havmg grooves in their peripheries traversed by the conductors, some of said wheels being geared together. so This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which the same reference characters are used throughout to designate the same parts, and in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of a twisting machine embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of the length equalizing mechamsm of the twisting machine shown in Fig. 1';

Fig. 3 is a view on line 3--3 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 4 is a view partly in section of the length equalizing mechanism shown in eferring to the drawings, 5 and .6 are side frame members joined at top and bottom respectively by supporting plates 7 and 8. Mounted upon the bottom supporting plate 8 is a revolving frame'nompnsmg a shaft 9 carrying a bar 10 upon each end of which is mounted a yoke 11. Mounted upon the upper end of the shaft. 9 and hollow hubs 12, 12 of the yokes 11, 11 is a crossbar 13, upon which is mounted an auxiliary frame, the upper end thereof being hollow at and journaled 1n the upper supporting plate 7. The housing 15 contains the usual are for driving acapstan 16 for drawing the conductors through the revolving fe, said gears meshing with a gear on the upper end of the auxiliary frame 14. Since the arrangementof'the gears for driving the capstan from the frame 14 is well mown, it 1s not considered necemary to either show or describe them. The revolvin frame is driven through the necessary t and gears from a suitable motor, such as is shown at 20 in Fig. 1.

In order that the twisted conductors may be properly wound on a receiving reel, there are provided pedestals 21 and 22 in which is journaled a shaft 23 which carries a reel 24 and is driven by means of a belt 26 passing over a pulley carried by said shaft and over a pulley 27 carried by a shaft 23 lf etween the motor 20 and the revolving rame.

To provide for the proper distribution of I an upper portion having two legs 41 and 42, and two side plates 43 and 44, the lower ends of which are suitably secured to the cross bar 13, and the upper ends to the legs 41 and 42, respectively. A spacer 45 and a bolt 46' serve to hold the plates 43 and 44 rigid. Each of two wheels 50, 50 provided w1th a plurality of ti-shaped grooves 51 on the periphery thereof, are secured to a bevel gear 52 loosely mounted through the medium of ball bearings 54 on a shaft 53 secured to the plates 43 and 44. The bevel gears 52, 52 mesh with pinions 55, 55 carried by a spider 56 mounted on the shaft 53.

wediately above the speed equalizing mechanism, a grooved guide 70 provided with two spiral grooves 71, 71 is mounted in a chuck 72 supported by a block 69 suitably held between the legs 41 and 42. The chuck 72 is provided with two diagonally arranged openings 73, 73 for the passage of the conductors to be twisted. The lower end of the grooved guide 7 O is provided with a slot 74, into whlch fits a key 75 for locking the grooved guide 70 in the chuck 72, the block 69 also being provided with a slot 76 registering with the slot 74, into which said key fits to lock the chuck 72 and block 69 together.

Referring now to the operation of twistin machine embodying the invention herein efore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the spools containing the conductors to be twisted are mounted in a horizontal position in the yokes 11, 11 as shown in Fig. 1. The conductor 80 from the spool mounted in the yoke llat the left of the machine, is led up through the hollow hub 12 thereof (see Fig. 2) up the wheel (on the right) in the outer V-shaped groove thereof, down and under the wheel (on the ht) in the outer V-shaped oove thereo i up and over said wheel 50 in the next oove thereof (this cycle may be repeated until the grooves of the wheels 50 and 60 are each traversed by the conductor 80), then passing from the groove of said wheel 50, through one of the openings 73, through one of the spiral grooves 71 of the grooved guide 70, at the upper end of which conductor 80 is joined by the other conductor 81, which has followed a similar course from the reel on the right of the machine through the on the left.

As the two conductors pass through the spiral grooves 71, 71 of the grooved guide 70, there is formed in each a definite spiral cor responding to the length of lay of the twist and the pltch of the groove. The pitch of both grooves is always made equal to the length of the twist desired in the twisted strands. From the upper end of the ooved grooves of the wheels 50 and 60 guide 70, the two conductors pass t rough the hollow end of the upper portion 40 of the auxiliary frame, around the capstan 16 several times, and finally onto the receiving reel 24. When the machine is revolving frame, wheels 50, 50 and 60, 6O

started, the

begin to revolve, the wheels 50, 50 and 60, 60 being driven by the conductors which traverse the-V-shaped grooves thereof. The action of the conductors in traversing the and so, 60 causes the equalization of the speed of the conductors through the mechanism.

It has been determined that the action of twisting the conductors in machines in which fiat-rimmed wheels are used for equalizing the speed of the conductors, causes the conductors to take serpentine path of the periphery of these wheels, thereby impairing the length equalizing effect of the wheels. By the use of wheels of this invention in. the periphery of which there are V-shaped grooves, and having some of said grooved a sup port, a plurality of sets of grooved wheels mounted upon said support, the wheels of one of said sets being mounted on the same shaft and geared together to rotate at the same speed, the wheels of the other set being independently rotatable and cooperating with the wheels of the first set, and

means for drawing off the twisted strands eachv strand passing around one ofsaid grooved wheels of each of said sets for equalizing the speed thereof.

2. In a strand twisting machine, a support, a plurality'of sets of grooved wheels mounted upon said support, the wheels of one of said sets being geared together to rotate at the same speed but in opposite directions to each other, the wheels of the other set being rotatable independently of each other, and a plurality of strands, each passing over one wheel of each set. for equalizing the speed of said strands.

3. A support, a plurality of grooved wheels mounted on sald support, said wheels being free to rotate independently of each other, another plurality of grooved wheels geared together and mounted on said 9 o- 1 port, and a plurality of strands, each strand passing over one wheelof each of said sets for imparting a uniform movement to said strands.

4. In a machine for twisting strands, a revoluble frame, a plurality of grooved wheels mounted upon said frame and geared together to rotate in reverse directions, said wheels being caused to rotate by the frictional engagement of the strands-passing thereover, and a plurality of grooved wheels also mounted upon said frame and cooperating with said geared wheels for equalizing the speed of the strands.

5. In a machine for twisting strands, a revoluble frame, an auxiliary frame carried by said revoluble frame, a plurality of wheels carried by said auxiliary frame, said wheels being geared together, and a plurality. of wheels also carried by said auxiliary frame,said wheels being mounted on the same shaft and cooperating with said aemca first mentioned wheels for equalizing the speed of the strands.

6. In a machine for twisting strands, a revoluble frame, a plurality of spool supports carried thereby, means for drawing off the twisted strands, a plurality of grooved Wheels geared together, and a plurality of independently revoluble wheels, each strand passing around one of said grooved wheels and one of said independently revoluble wheels for equalizing the speed thereof.

7. In a machine of the character described a revolving frame for twisting a plurality of strands, means for drawing thestrands through said frame, and means for equalizing the speed of the strands comprising an auxiliary frame mounted upon said revolving frame, two wheels mounted in said auxiliary frame, said wheels having V-shaped grooves in the periphery thereof and being geared together and two other wheels having V-shaped grooves in the periphery thereof mounted in said auxiliary frame,

each strand traversing the grooves of one of said geared wheels and one of said secend-mentioned wheels. I

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 16th day of October, A. D.

WILLIAM F. SMITH. Witnesses E. EDLER, K. L. STAHL. 

